‘Riverdale’ star Lili Reinhart opens up about battle with depression and anxiety

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NEW YORK -- On the surface she seems to have it all. Young beautiful and starring in the hit CW show Riverdale. Now, Lili Reinhart is revealing what's beneath the surface. The actress is opening up about her ongoing battle with depression and anxiety.

In her instagram story posted Friday, Reinhart wrote "I'm 22. I have anxiety and depression and today I started therapy again. And so the journey of self love begins for me. And good luck to your on yours."

She added, “Friendly reminder for anyone who needs to hear it: Therapy is never something to feel ashamed of. Everyone can benefit from seeing a therapist.”

"We should applaud her for coming forward and talking about something that's so personal," said Dr. Jeff Gardere, clinical psychologist and associate professor at Touro College. "At the end of the day it really is about your self esteem, your self worth and your self love. If you believe in yourself if you love yourself, then it will be easier to take on challenges and live to your real potential and find the real you in life, we all deserve to be happy."

Dr. Gardere says celebrities opening up about mental health challenges is important for other young people to see. It helps to take the stigma out of the illness and of seeking therapy.

"There is a price that comes with fame," said Dr. Gardere. "Your life is not your own there are no secrets that can be kept anymore and of course the competition to stay on top, that stress that pressure is overwhelming,"

Reinhart isn't the only one. In the last year, other young celebrities have come forward about getting treated for depression. Singers Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga as well as SNL star, Pete Davidson.

"The earlier you get attention, the earlier you get treatment the better the prognosis is," said Dr. Gardere. "As a mental health practitioner, I'm extremely proud of our younger generation, that they're owning this."

Dr. Gardere says the signs to look out for in our friends and loved ones who may be suffering - sadness, mood swings and isolation. These days, don't underestimate the pressures of social media.

"Looking at social media, there's a lot of pressure to be present there and to be popular," said Dr. Gardere. "They don't want to be isolated they want to be popular and when those things don't fall in a row for them, that may impact their mental health and well being and maturational development."